This credit union member’s entry in our Share It Contest shares how she discovered the convenience of Shared Branching:
“I have been a member of my credit union for many years, maintaining my account despite attending college in another state, moving to another state for several years, and now settling in Maine for the past 3 1/2 years. Several weeks ago I stopped in to a credit union to ask about being able to use my CU debit card at their ATM without being charged the dreaded ATM fee. I was all too delighted with the outcome of my inquiry. I mentioned to the teller that I was a member of a CU in the state I'd grown up in; she confirmed the CU was on the Shared Branching network, asked for my ID and account number, then asked how much I wanted to withdraw. It took me a moment to register, but I happily walked out the door with cash in hand and no ATM fee charged to my debit card.
I'm so pleased that credit unions are working together to make using credit unions - no matter where they are located - just a little easier for their members! THANK YOU!”
-M.L., Vinalhaven
Spread the word about Shared Branching with your friends, and save them from unnecessary fees!
-Diana D., Maine Credit Union League
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Shared Branching helped one member help a person in need
Mainers love to share, and credit unions are here to help. Here is one members story on how using Shared Branching helped them help someone in need.
“I, like many other hard working citizens, found myself in a rather precarious financial situation. A member of my church encountered an emergency situation that needed immediate attention. The person affected did not have the funds to take care of the emergency. A number of folks were rallying together to assist this person. I desperately wanted to help, but did not have the funds right at that moment. I shared this with my sister, and she understood that I desperately wanted to help, and wanted to help me. We brainstormed the different ways that $$ could be shifted from her to me, so that I could help. All of the brainstorming ideas failed to make funds immediately available. Then, suddenly, she said; “wait…do you use a credit union”? I replied that I did. She said that she remembered seeing something about Shared Branching at her credit union. She did some quick research and sure enough, her credit union and mine both had Shared Branching. She immediately went to her credit union and made arrangements to have $$ transferred from her credit union account to mine. The funds were available almost immediately. I went to my credit union, withdrew the funds and passed them along to the person who was overseeing the effort to assist the person in need.
Without Shared Branching, I wouldn’t have been able to help another person. Shared Branching helped a person, help a person, to help a person. What a wonderful thing!”
- P.W., Augusta
So whether you need money immediately because of an emergency, or just to make a loan payment when you're out of town, Shared Branching is here to make your life a little simpler.
-Jess H., Maine Credit Union League
“I, like many other hard working citizens, found myself in a rather precarious financial situation. A member of my church encountered an emergency situation that needed immediate attention. The person affected did not have the funds to take care of the emergency. A number of folks were rallying together to assist this person. I desperately wanted to help, but did not have the funds right at that moment. I shared this with my sister, and she understood that I desperately wanted to help, and wanted to help me. We brainstormed the different ways that $$ could be shifted from her to me, so that I could help. All of the brainstorming ideas failed to make funds immediately available. Then, suddenly, she said; “wait…do you use a credit union”? I replied that I did. She said that she remembered seeing something about Shared Branching at her credit union. She did some quick research and sure enough, her credit union and mine both had Shared Branching. She immediately went to her credit union and made arrangements to have $$ transferred from her credit union account to mine. The funds were available almost immediately. I went to my credit union, withdrew the funds and passed them along to the person who was overseeing the effort to assist the person in need.
Without Shared Branching, I wouldn’t have been able to help another person. Shared Branching helped a person, help a person, to help a person. What a wonderful thing!”
- P.W., Augusta
So whether you need money immediately because of an emergency, or just to make a loan payment when you're out of town, Shared Branching is here to make your life a little simpler.
-Jess H., Maine Credit Union League
Monday, February 8, 2010
Shared Branching saves one members weekend
We know that Mainers love to share, and as part of out Share It campaign we are asking you to tell us what you love to share. Here is one members story:
Shared Branching Saves the Day!
“One month ago I was traveling down to Boston to see my brother and my vehicle broke down in southern Maine on New Year’s weekend. The company who came to get my car needed cash for payment and I didn't have any cash on me. I was not sure how I was going to be able to get cash and without a fee at a big bank. The other hold up was that I didn't have much money in my checking account for my debit card to work. I don't have access to my savings account by debit card or ATM card so I was stuck.
I then thought about the Shared Branching. I had been given a paper with all the branches in Maine who participate in SB by the associate at NorState FCU in Presque Isle when I opened my account. I looked on there and found there was a credit union nearby. I then proceeded to plug this credit union name into my cell phone where I got the address. I went inside late on a snowy day when they were just about to close and I took the money out of my own CU savings account.
The days that followed made me really pat myself on the back for switching from another local bank to a credit union. I feel as though I'm part of a little family, but yet with the ability to have access no matter where my travels take me. I'm very glad to be part of Shared Branching and I'm glad I'm a member of two Maine Credit Unions.”
- E.D, Presque Isle
-Jess H., Maine Credit Union League
Shared Branching Saves the Day!
“One month ago I was traveling down to Boston to see my brother and my vehicle broke down in southern Maine on New Year’s weekend. The company who came to get my car needed cash for payment and I didn't have any cash on me. I was not sure how I was going to be able to get cash and without a fee at a big bank. The other hold up was that I didn't have much money in my checking account for my debit card to work. I don't have access to my savings account by debit card or ATM card so I was stuck.
I then thought about the Shared Branching. I had been given a paper with all the branches in Maine who participate in SB by the associate at NorState FCU in Presque Isle when I opened my account. I looked on there and found there was a credit union nearby. I then proceeded to plug this credit union name into my cell phone where I got the address. I went inside late on a snowy day when they were just about to close and I took the money out of my own CU savings account.
The days that followed made me really pat myself on the back for switching from another local bank to a credit union. I feel as though I'm part of a little family, but yet with the ability to have access no matter where my travels take me. I'm very glad to be part of Shared Branching and I'm glad I'm a member of two Maine Credit Unions.”
- E.D, Presque Isle
-Jess H., Maine Credit Union League
Monday, February 1, 2010
Say “Hello” to SURF Dude, and “Goodbye” to ATM Fees!
It’s out with the old and in with the new… look that is, the surcharge free ATM network that you know and rely on has a new look. As a credit union member, you have access to over 200 surcharge free ATMs throughout Maine, using these ATMs can save you an average of $300 a year in surcharge fees alone. Who would want to pass up a deal like that? Have you ever been out and needed to use an ATM, but don’t know what ones are on the SURF network. Just look for SURF Dude or visit gosurf.mobi on your smart phone.
If you see SURF Dude on your ATM then you know that you’re in the SURF Zone – and that means no ATM fees! The SURF ATM Network now includes over 90% of the state’s 67 credit unions, so you are never far from a SURF Zone. So next time you are out and need to access an ATM, whether you’re taking out cash or making a deposit, look for SURF Dude and keep your money where it belongs... with you!
-Jess H., Maine Credit Union League
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Want to make your life easier? Join a credit union!
As a credit union employee, I sometimes take for granted the multiple ways I can manage my account. I’m often reminded of this when I’m talking to friends and family and explaining our products and services to them. The response I hear most is “Wow, that’s so cool, I didn’t know I could do that with my credit union account!”
A classic example of this happened between my husband and I recently. He opened an account for his weekly spending money that he was going to manage and keep track of. When he asked how he could do that, I was more than a little surprised! I spend all day promoting our products and services to our members and making them aware of everything we offer, and here my own husband didn’t realize all the ways he could manage his account without coming into a branch. (In my defense, he usually doesn’t realize when the laundry needs to be done either, and I know I’ve made him aware of that before!) I wondered though how many credit union members out there don’t realize the gold mine of financial resources a credit union offers that can make their everyday life easier!
As a member of a credit union, you may think that you have to sacrifice a certain level of technology or convenience to receive the outstanding level of service and money-saving products that you enjoy. Not true! I bet most members don’t realize that they’re credit union offers all of the same sophisticated technology that big banks do – and we know your name when you visit a branch! Mobile Banking? Check. Text or E-mail notifications on your account? Check. Online Banking? Check. Electronic Bill Pay? Check. Online account opening? Check. Online loan and mortgage applications? Check! The list goes on and on!
And talk about convenience – with the credit union shared branching network you have over 4,000 branches nationwide that you can use like you would your own credit union! Not to mention the over 200 ATMs across the state that you can use with no fee! Because credit unions are financial cooperatives, we work together to deliver our members the same level of convenience and access to their accounts that you can find at a big bank.
So needless to say, when I told my husband that he could keep tabs on his account right on his cell phone through mobile banking, he was pretty excited. Then when I said that he didn’t have to go across town if he needed to make a deposit, he could go to the credit union next door to his work he was even more excited! Not only because he didn’t have to give me all those pesky receipts anymore, but also because he knew this would make his life a lot easier!
- Kim S., University Credit Union
A classic example of this happened between my husband and I recently. He opened an account for his weekly spending money that he was going to manage and keep track of. When he asked how he could do that, I was more than a little surprised! I spend all day promoting our products and services to our members and making them aware of everything we offer, and here my own husband didn’t realize all the ways he could manage his account without coming into a branch. (In my defense, he usually doesn’t realize when the laundry needs to be done either, and I know I’ve made him aware of that before!) I wondered though how many credit union members out there don’t realize the gold mine of financial resources a credit union offers that can make their everyday life easier!
As a member of a credit union, you may think that you have to sacrifice a certain level of technology or convenience to receive the outstanding level of service and money-saving products that you enjoy. Not true! I bet most members don’t realize that they’re credit union offers all of the same sophisticated technology that big banks do – and we know your name when you visit a branch! Mobile Banking? Check. Text or E-mail notifications on your account? Check. Online Banking? Check. Electronic Bill Pay? Check. Online account opening? Check. Online loan and mortgage applications? Check! The list goes on and on!
And talk about convenience – with the credit union shared branching network you have over 4,000 branches nationwide that you can use like you would your own credit union! Not to mention the over 200 ATMs across the state that you can use with no fee! Because credit unions are financial cooperatives, we work together to deliver our members the same level of convenience and access to their accounts that you can find at a big bank.
So needless to say, when I told my husband that he could keep tabs on his account right on his cell phone through mobile banking, he was pretty excited. Then when I said that he didn’t have to go across town if he needed to make a deposit, he could go to the credit union next door to his work he was even more excited! Not only because he didn’t have to give me all those pesky receipts anymore, but also because he knew this would make his life a lot easier!
- Kim S., University Credit Union
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Maine CUs do more to help those who need it most
With the heartbreaking images of the devastation that a 7.0 earthquake recently brought to Haiti constantly on television, online and in the newspapers, people everywhere are wishing that they could do more to help these victims.
In response to this disaster, Maine credit unions are not only taking action to help, they are making it easy for others to do so as well, with a statewide fundraising initiative called, 'Maine People Helping People Across The Earth - A Fund For Haiti'. In conjunction with the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), Maine's credit unions have activated a safe and secure web site to raise money for credit union employees, volunteers and members in Haiti. In addition to online contributions, a number of credit unions have set-up donation canisters in their lobbies to collect funds for this important cause.
Visit your local credit union to find out more about this effort, or the many other ways they are helping those in need, across your community and across the world. Or, to make a safe and secure donation to the Haiti fundraising effort, visit www.cuaid.coop/maine and click on the Donate Now link.
-Diana D., Maine Credit Union League
In response to this disaster, Maine credit unions are not only taking action to help, they are making it easy for others to do so as well, with a statewide fundraising initiative called, 'Maine People Helping People Across The Earth - A Fund For Haiti'. In conjunction with the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), Maine's credit unions have activated a safe and secure web site to raise money for credit union employees, volunteers and members in Haiti. In addition to online contributions, a number of credit unions have set-up donation canisters in their lobbies to collect funds for this important cause.
Visit your local credit union to find out more about this effort, or the many other ways they are helping those in need, across your community and across the world. Or, to make a safe and secure donation to the Haiti fundraising effort, visit www.cuaid.coop/maine and click on the Donate Now link.
-Diana D., Maine Credit Union League
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Financial Literacy is a Lifelong Lesson
No matter what your age, take advantage of the New Year and get on the path to financial fitness with your Maine Credit Unions! They are here for you all year round!
Baby boomers
Put your debts in priority order. Make a list of all your liabilities and organize them by the annual interest rate. Pay off those with the highest rates first, while still making at least minimum payments on all the others. Set a specific, realistic date for when you plan to achieve your goal of paying off all debts.
Determine your net worth. Calculate your assets minus liabilities each year--preferably on Dec. 31--so you quickly can see whether you're gaining ground or falling behind. Your net worth should be increasing each year. If it's not, make a plan to improve it, such as pay down a specific debt or put more money into a retirement account.
Seniors
Evaluate your estate plan. Establish or review your will, advance directives, and powers of attorney, and make sure they reflect your preferences and current situation. Make sure all of your intended beneficiaries are on file for all your financial accounts.
Check all insurance policies. For example, know what is covered in your home-owners policy and verify your liability coverage. Call your insurance agent if you have any questions. Many credit unions have relationships with area insurance companies for your convenience.
- Adam M., Maine Family FCU
Baby boomers
Put your debts in priority order. Make a list of all your liabilities and organize them by the annual interest rate. Pay off those with the highest rates first, while still making at least minimum payments on all the others. Set a specific, realistic date for when you plan to achieve your goal of paying off all debts.
Determine your net worth. Calculate your assets minus liabilities each year--preferably on Dec. 31--so you quickly can see whether you're gaining ground or falling behind. Your net worth should be increasing each year. If it's not, make a plan to improve it, such as pay down a specific debt or put more money into a retirement account.
Seniors
Evaluate your estate plan. Establish or review your will, advance directives, and powers of attorney, and make sure they reflect your preferences and current situation. Make sure all of your intended beneficiaries are on file for all your financial accounts.
Check all insurance policies. For example, know what is covered in your home-owners policy and verify your liability coverage. Call your insurance agent if you have any questions. Many credit unions have relationships with area insurance companies for your convenience.
- Adam M., Maine Family FCU
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